Energy insecurity a problem for one-third of U.S. households

1of 15Getting power in Texas is differentTexas deregulated its electric utility market 15 years ago and turned it into a competitive market where retail electric companies competed to sell power plans at different rates. Instead of having a state or municipal-run utility with regulated rates, Texans pay different amounts for their electricity. The tricky part is picking a power plan from the hundreds that are available. But all Texans have to pay for the transmission of their electricity -- or, how it gets to their homes -- and those rates and companies remain regulated by the Public Utility Commission.

2of 15Start with Powertochoose.orgThis website is regulated by the Public Utility Commission, although there are many other privately owned websites out there that help Texans shop for power. While Powertochoose.org is often criticized as being confusing and hard to use, consumer advocates prefer it because it is monitored by state officials.

3of 15Know how much power you useBefore you pick a power plan, you should look at your previous electricity bills to see how many kilowatt hours of power you typically use. In Texas, peak electricity use is in the summer months, between June and September.

4of 15Download your power usage data from Smart Meter TexasIf you are looking for more detailed data on your power use, you can find your home on smartmetertexas.com, another state-run website that tracks electricity use for every customer in Texas. You can use this information to help pick a power plan that fits best with your usage. Texans' utility bills help fund the website.Photo: Bill Montgomery, Houston Chronicle

5of 15Narrow your searchOnce you are on powertochoose.org, narrow your search by indicating how much energy you use per month, how long you want your plan to last and whether you want a fixed rate. The Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, a non-profit that advocates for consumers, recommends a fixed rate. Photo: LM Otero, STF

6of 15Know what you are looking atOnce you've entered your search criteria in Powertochoose.org -- your zip code, and your average monthly power usage -- you will be able to look at electricity plans. What you will see, however, are not fixed rates but rates based on average usage. Keep this in mind when you are picking a power plan.

7of 15Always read the electricity facts sheetEach plan on Powertochoose.org comes with an electricity fact sheet that breaks down the basics of the plan. This sheet will contain other charges that are not immediately evident. Some power plans will have base charges in addition to a rate per kilowatt hour used. Other power plans have monthly fees that will always apply regardless of actual power usage. Photo: Bill Montgomery

8of 15Watch out for hidden chargesSome electricity rates on Powertochoose.org will spike dramatically if you exceed 1,000 kilowatt hours. While it is normal to see a base charge, like $5, if you use less than 1,000 kilowatt hours, also be wary of rates that are also substantially higher for less electricity use and supposedly drop once you hit 1,000 kilowatt hours. This might be a scam.

Photo: Getty Images

9of 15Avoid pre-paid plansThe Texas Coalition for Affordable Power recommends that Texans avoid pre-paid electricity plans just stick with fixed rate plans, which will charge the same regardless of electricity usage.Photo: Fotolia

10of 15Living in a small home or apartment might mean you use less energyIf you live in a small home or apartment, you might use less than 1,000 kilowatt hours of energy a month. That means that plans with low average rates based on 1,000 kilowatt hours won't apply to you -- you might even have a plan that charges more for less than 1,000 kilowatt hours. Read a plan's electricity fact sheet and check before you sign up.Photo: HAR

11of 15Watch out for plans that offer free power at nightPower use tends to spike in the evening, so at first glance, plans that offer free energy at night seem attractive. But these plans typically hike rates during the day to offset the savings at night, consumer advocates say.Photo: Kevin Fujii, Staff

12of 15Complain if you see a problemIf you are concerned that a retail electric company is not honoring the rates it advertised on Powertochoose.org, then filed a complaint with the Public Utility Commission. You can call toll free at 1-888-782-8477.Photo: Toby Talbot, STF

13of 15Powertochoose.org isn't the only optionThere are many other privately-run websites that help Texans shop for power, some of which use similar criteria to help narrow down power plans for consumers. Keep in mind that these are not monitored by the Public Utility Commission, and might take payments from companies to prioritize certain power plans. Photo: Calpine

14of 15Renewable energy plans are not what they seemUnless you have your own rooftop solar system, there is no way to guarantee that wind or solar-generated energy is flowing into your home. Electrons are electrons, and are the same for all Texans connected to the grid. But renewable energy plans do mean that you are essentially subsidizing renewable energy projects in Texas. Your retail electric company is paying wind and solar farm operators for the value of the energy they produce.Photo: Michael Paulsen, Staff

15of 15Consider investing in solar panelsRooftop solar, if you can afford it, will allow you to generate your own power and offset what power you consume from the grid. A handful of retail electric companies in Houston have partnered with solar panel companies to offer Houston residents special plans for homes with rooftop solar. Depending on the system and the amount of sun, solar panels can cut electricity bills by 50 to 70 percent. The average-sized solar system costs between $10,000 and $13,000 after tax credits. Learn more about investing in a solar panel system here.

Nearly one-third of U.S. households face energy insecurity at least once a year because they can't afford to pay their bills or even turn on their heat or air conditioning. Millions more must choose between food and electricity every month.

The Energy Department studies household energy consumption patterns and found that in 2015, a year when household energy costs were the lowest in more than a decade, households across the nation struggled to pay for electricity, natural gas and other household fuels.

About 25 million households, or one in five, reported they went without or cut back on necessities like medicine and food at least once a year to pay their energy bills. About 7 million households face that decision nearly every month, according to the study.

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Disconnection notices are also a worry for 17 million households or 14 percent of U.S. families. Two million report they get a notice every month.

One in 10 households report that they keep their homes at unsafe temperatures because they can't afford to heat or cool them adequately.

Millions of households go without energy entirely because they can't afford to fix broken equipment or buy fuel. Seven million households - 6 percent of the total - reported that financial constraints kept them from using their heaters at some point in 2015 and 6 million households reported they couldn't use their air conditioning.

L.M. Sixel writes about the economy and the workplace for the Houston Chronicle. She writes a weekly column called "Working" that appears each Thursday.

She started her newspaper career at the Beaumont Enterprise. Before that, she earned a Bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master's degree in economic history from the London School of Economics.